Monday, January 30, 2012

Tonight the Clippers take on the very young and talented Oklahoma City Thunder, who have a solid stronghold on first-place in the west. This is a match-up that any true basketball fan can't help but love; two young, exciting teams that are actually good. Between Blake, CP3, Durant, and Westbrook, we're seeing a handful of the best basketball players in the world on the same floor, in their prime. Gotta love it.

OKC comes into this game 16-3, holding down the top-spot in the West, while the Clippers trail behind them in 3rd place with a record of 11-6. The Thunder are coming off a road win up north over the Warriors, where Durant dropped 37 points and grabbed 14 boards, while Westbrook put up 28 with 11 assists. Yeah, these guys are killin' it. If they come out looking like that against the Clippers, we are going to have to bring our A-game to come out with the W.

Clippers are coming off a big road win last night, where they took down 2nd place Denver on the road. Of course, back-to-back games with travel can be trying, so let's hope the Clipps were able to rest up enough to come out strong tonight.

As long-time NBA fans, we can't help but reflect on the "Zombie Sonics," as Bill Simmons calls them. You might not care, or remember, or know, but what happened to the Seattle Supersonics was just not right. It may seem like beating a dead horse, but it's worth mentioning. Yes, sports franchises move, and such is the nature of the game - but this was different. It's worth checking out the documentary "Sonicsgate" to familiarize yourself with what really happened. (Note: completely unprovoked and honest endorsement of a good documentary.) This exciting, young team should have been in Seattle.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

The Clippers take on the red-hot Denver Nuggets tonight, as Chauncey Billups returns to his hometown and former home arena. Although the Nuggets are sporting a new, and thus far effective lineup, they will certainly not soon forget the solid years that their hometown star gave them. Denver took on another former star Saturday when they defeated Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks. Having traded their star power for a younger, deeper lineup, this season the Nuggets look to prove that it doesn't take mega-stars to win games. And so far it's working. Tonight they hope to extend their 6-game win streak with a win over the Clippers, which would put them one game out of first place in the Western Conference behind the OKC Thunder (NOKC Blunder). The Clippers, in a 6-way tie for 3rd in the West, trail closely behind, and look to add a big road win to the W column.The Nuggets' younger PG, Ty Lawson, is looking forward to playing against his former mentor. "Chauncey was huge because I was a young point guard coming into the game," Lawson said to the Nuggets' official website. "He's been everywhere I want to be. He's been an All-Star, he won a championship. I learned everything from him. He was very important to my development. It's going to fun playing against him."Speaking of pretty good point guards, here's to hoping CP3 continues to get back to his normal self, as he put up a solid 18 points and seven assists against Memphis on Thursday. It's not Thug to Nugg... It's Hip to Clipp... So let's do this!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Not to bash on Lakers fans, but come on—you’re not getting Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and J.J. Redick straight up for Andrew Bynum (and yes, we understand that doesn’t work under the CBA), and nor would anyone be willing to trade Derron Williams for Metta World Peace. Nevertheless, the Lakers will probably make a move or two to try and stay relevant this season, even if they don’t make some lopsided, blockbuster trade (read: contrary to popular fan beliefs, cannot perform trades that would seem more of the occult than reality). The Clippers can also still improve their roster, with hopes of becoming more relevant. With a huge logjam in the back-court getting even more noticeable with Eric Bledsoe coming back from injury, as well as the need for a scoring and rebounding big man off the bench, we at Hip to Clipp broke out the ESPN trade machine and came up with the following five trade scenarios. Leave us your feedback and let us know if these make sense for both teams and improve the Clippers’ roster.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Staff writer Alexander Dardick, on the night of Obama's State of the Union Address, delivers the State of Clipper Nation. Profoundly informative and fantastically articulate, Alexander breaks down the positives and negatives of the state of the Clippers thus far.

It’s been fourteen games, and we’re at the all-important 21.2121% mark of the season. Let’s take a look at some of the encouraging and discouraging signs from this Clipper 2011-12 season thus far.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

On November 2nd, 1999, in the first NBA game to ever be played in Staples Center, Lamar Odom dropped 30 points and 12 rebounds in his first game with the Clippers.We were there.

It was one of those basketball moments you don't forget. It was one of many moments that solidified our loyalty to the Clippers.

It was the beginning of a special time for Clippers fans—a time that Lamar deserves a lot of credit for. Sure, we weren't Championship contenders like we might be this year, but it was the original Lob City for disheartened fans like us. We won't forget those years.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

In the first of three meetings, the Clippers assert their dominance as the real LA team this season. Including the pre-season, the Clipps have taken the Lake Show down three times in a row. Will the Clippers keep it up? Will the Lakers bounce back this season? Stay tuned for more...

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Clippers took down the villainous Miami Heat last night at Staples Center in an exciting over time match up. Lob City was open for business, as usual, with several sensational dunks and lobs throughout the night...

Contributing writer Alex Goglia rifles off some of the leagues most notable names...Sundiata Gaines (Nets) – did you know that Sundiata is not, as I assumed, pronounced Sun-dee-ya-ta? It’s Soon-jah-tuh.

Carmelo Anthony (Knicks) – the fact that he’s a household name is no reason for us to forget that the name “Carmelo” is inherently hilarious.

Thaddeus Young (76ers) – if I were to guess what someone named Thaddeus Young looks like based on name alone, I would picture a pale 15th century British gentleman in a powder wig and white ruffly shirt. Somehow that description does not quite describe the 76ers’ Thad Young.

Zaza Pachulia (Hawks) – an aging burlesque dancer?Bismack Biyombo (Bobcats) – probably one of the better athlete names ever. Bismack. He can’t help but be tremendous.

Von Wafer (Magic) – an off-brand grocery store cracker?

Julyan Stone (Nuggets) – seems like they wrote a “y” instead of an “i” on the birth certificate and just decided to call him Julyan because it was written in pen.

Where are the 3 Bears?

Andrew Goudelock (Lakers) – his last name sounds like Goldilocks. That is all.

Markieff Morris (Suns) – this happens more often than one would expect: the one sibling (in this case Markieff’s twin brother Marcus of the Rockets) gets a normal name while the other gets an absolutely crazy-sounding name. Like Markeiff.

Sebastian Telfair (Suns) – another entry into the “15th century British gentleman” category. Imagine someone saying the name Sebastian in a condescending English accent while holding a cup of tea with their pinky out. Seh-baass-tee-yannn.

Jimmer Fredette (Kings) – real name is James Taft Fredette, which is not necessarily a cool name. What is cool is having a unique enough name that people can refer to you on a single name basis (i.e., Kobe, Lebron, Dirk) (not i.e., Chris Paul, Jeff Green, Ryan Anderson). Even if it is a goofy-ass nickname like Jimmer.

Quincy Pondexter (Grizzlies) – the third election into “15th century British gentleman” all star team.

Carldell Johnson (Hornets) – my early vote for best name in the NBA. Carldell is the single best name I’ve ever heard.

Friday, January 6, 2012

We also decided to piece together the ugliest Clippers lineup of all time...

Starting Lineup:Sam Cassel (G) - He may be a good looking alien, but is definitely as a hall-of-fame ugly.Andre Miller (G)- Ugly player, ugly personality.Cherokee Parks (F)- The tatoos, the hair, the total ugly package.Kieth Closs (F)- Ew. his freckles and hairstyle were even worse than his pay.Chris Kaman (C)- If I have to explain this one to you, then your on the wrong site.

Bench:Brian Skinner - Think Keith Closs, but with better reboundingWang Zhi Zhi - He makes Yao Ming look like George Clooney.Travis outlaw - Good thing we didn't have to look at him for too long.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Clippers added much needed frontcourt depth over the weekend by signing 6’10”–forward Solomon Jones. The South Florida alum was signed for the prorated veteran’s minimum, coming in at just under a million dollars for the one-year contract. Jones is expected to help the team a little less than Chipper Darrell and a little more than the kids who clean the floor after free throws with their large round size mop. In his first three years in the league, the forward got comfortable on the Atlanta Hawks bench. A change of scenery in Indiana actually did Jones well, as he set career highs in his two seasons as a Pacer, where he averaged just under 4 points per game and just under 3 rebounds a game.

Does Neil Olshey think that this is answer to the front court depth issue that has lost us at least one game so far this season? With only 13 players on the Clippers roster (two less than the maximum that most teams carry), let’s hope this is move to fill out a roster until the front office puts a trade together for a real big man who can be a part of the rotation (or that they still plan on signing Kenyon Martin when he is able to leave China and sign with the NBA).The Clippers have also been reported as one of the teams interested in cente, Joel Przybilla if he decides he wants to play this season. The LA Times reported today they are also interested in Antonio McDyess if he decides to call of retirement for one more season. If none of these scenarios play out, and the Reggie Evans experiment fails because of injury, then the Clippers have little to no chance of contending in the Western Conference this season.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Here are a few of our fondest Clipper Memories from throughout the years...

Steve Novak hitting a buzzer beater to beat the Nets in 2009: Even though he probably stepped out of bounds slightly, who cares? Such an exciting finish, and you gotta love Steve. BINGOOOOOO!!!!

2006 Playoff Run: Probably the most exciting time to be a Clipper fan since they moved to LA, as they stomped out the Nuggets, followed by an exciting series with the Suns. Forcing game 7, Radmo hitting five three-pointers in game 3. Lots of good memories here.

Victory over the Miami Heat in 2011: An unlikely Clippers squad came ready to play and beat out the renowned Heatles, putting up some nice highlights while they were at it. The stadium was packed, with everybody wanting to see The Big 3, not really expecting too much of a game. Staples Center has never been so loud. Great win.

Blake against the Knicks in 2010: This was BG's coming out party. Everyone in that arena knew we had someone special when he posterized Timofey Mosgov (and just about every other player on the Knicks).

The Elton Brand Draft-Day Trade: In 2001, the Bulls shipped Elton to the Clipps for Brian Skinner and the rights to Tyson Chandler. Although Elton Brand ultimately hurt our fragile Clipper feelings, he provided us with several very solid years and was the backbone of the organization throughout the early 2000's, teaming up with Lamar Odom, Darius Miles, and Quentin Richardson to give us the most exciting Clippers era until Lob City. Great memories.

Luckily, that closer in Chris Paul. And she sure can close. During the fourth quarter, when Portland made a triumphant challenge at the Clippers' 17-point lead, Paul took over the game, making a huge layup then interrupting Jamal Crawford's three-point shot attempt with less then six seconds left in the game. This guy is big-time.

Always concerned with improvement (and not forcing such a dire situation after leading by 17), there are still a couple of areas where the Clippers can definitely improve, and this game, despite win, showed them clearly.